The Gift
by JamesSunderlandsPillow
Summary: Lori babysits a girl with Cystic Fibrosis, and gains a new perspective from the experience. (I do not own The Loud House. Cover Art by NickTheIrkenArtist.)


**This story is dedicated to someone very special in my life. Maybe someday she'll get around to reading it.**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

The Loud house, daylight.

Lori Loud enters her bedroom, huffing and puffing over something she's upset about.

Her phone rings, and she takes it out to answer it.

"Hey Carol. Yeah, no, sorry. I have… Something came up," she tells her friend.

Lincoln passes by the bedroom, and invites himself in.

"Hey Lori," he simply greets.

"Ugh, I'll call you back later," Lori dejectedly tells Carol before hanging up the phone.

From her demeanor, Lincoln can tell something is amiss.

"I was gonna ask if you'd give me a ride to the comic book store, but you seem kind of… depressed," he bluntly states.

"Ugh, literally," Lori groans as she lets herself fall back on her bed. "I had to cancel my plans tonight because now I have to _babysit…"_

"Babysit?" Lincoln responds with a raise of the brow. "I thought you quit babysitting forever ago?"

"I did, but this is a favor to Mom," Lori begins as she sits back up. "The kid is her boss's granddaughter, and I guess she's got something wrong with her. Like she's sick, but she's not really sick- I don't know how to explain it. Anyway, Mom said they'd pay me like, two hundred bucks."

Lincoln's eyes widen. "Two hundred bucks? Pshhh, _I'd_ do it for that kind of dough," he shamelessly admits.

"Yeah, I would too if I didn't already have plans with all my friends," Lori rebuts. "It doesn't matter though. I couldn't really tell her no; she needs me to do this for her…"

Lincoln smiles. "Well, that's a very mature way to look at it. And I'm sure Mom will really appreciate it."

Lori half smiles, but it comes off as more of a wince, like she just let one of her infamous yoga farts. "Thanks…"

Despite what would seem to be the conclusion of this conversation, Lincoln still stands there at her doorway, nervously stepping back and forth from his heels to his toes with his hands behind his back.

"So… Any chance I can still get a ride to the comic store?" he asks with a nervous grin.

Lori just rolls her eyes and groans.

* * *

Later on, Rita Loud is driving Lori to her destination. The seventeen year-old leans against the van door, all but pouting.

"Hey, thanks for doing this. I know you had plans with Carol tonight," Rita somberly tells her.

Lori does her best not too seem so glum, and raises her head from her hand to face her. "It's fine, Mom. There's always next weekend…"

Rita half smiles, but it comes across as more of a wince. "I suppose. But hey, look at the bright side. Most of your babysitting jobs would pay a hundred bucks for a full night. You're getting twice as much for half the time!"

Lori still does her best to keep her front going. "Yeah, that is cool," she agrees, but not with much conviction.

They pull up to a quaint little suburban home, and park in the driveway.

Rita just smiles at her daughter. "I _am_ sorry Lori. I know this is probably the last place you want to be right now," she bemoans as her smile fades.

Lori looks up to her, but it's no use saying anything, so she doesn't bother.

"I promise next weekend me and your father won't ask you for anything. You've earned a break with all you do around the house, and all you're doing to find a good college," she says as her smile returns, and she places a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder.

Lori meets the gesture with a soft smile of her own. "Thanks," she simply says, and she proceeds to make her way out of the van.

"Try and have fun, sweetie. Call me when you're ready for me to come get you," Rita tells her.

"I will," Lori responds, mostly just addressing the latter part.

As she walks her way to the front door, her mother pulls Vanzilla out of the driveway, and the reality sinks in.

She sighs. "Let's just get this over with…"

* * *

Lori approaches the front door, and rings the doorbell.

Shortly after, a middle-aged woman with brown hair greets her with a smile.

"Lori! Thanks for making it, come on in," she says.

"Hi, Mrs. Feinstein. Thanks for having me," she politely responds, burying all those negative feelings down deep to seem like she's not totally despondent, and she follows the woman into her home.

"Danny! Lori's here!" the woman shouts out.

A tall man with black hair enters the room. "Hi Lori," he greets.

"Hello, Mr. Feinstein," Lori says.

He takes his place by his wife. "Do you have everything?" he asks her.

She checks inside her purse, and then checks to see if she didn't forget her earrings. "Yep. Got everything," she says with a smile.

He smiles back, then turns his attention to Lori. "Okay, you have both our numbers, and the number of the conference building is on the fridge if you need it."

"And the keys for my car are in the sugar jar if you absolutely need them. Izzy can tell you where they are," Mrs. Feinstein adds.

"I'm sure everything will be fine. If I can handle ten siblings at once, I can handle this," Lori quips.

Both parents get wide eyed. "Ten siblings?" Mr. Feinstein asks.

"At once?" his wife adds.

They then look to one another. "Leave her a little something extra," she adds for only her husband to hear.

They then smile again. "Isabelle! Lori's here! Why don't you come say hello?!" her mother calls to her.

"Okay mom! Just give me a sec!" the girl hollers back.

Not long after, she races to the foyer, and lets out a belch. She giggles about it. "Excuse me…" she says with a smile and a blush.

Her parents just shake their heads.

"Did you just eat?" her mother asks.

"Yeah, I had a PB&J and some milk," Isabelle answers.

"And did you take your enzymes?" Mr. Feinstein asks.

"Yes dad…" she answers, somewhat annoyed.

"Enzymes?" Lori asks.

"She has to-" Mrs. Feinstein begins before being cut off by her daughter.

"I have to take pills every time I eat. It's no big deal," Isabelle explains.

"Yeah, unless you _don't_ take them," her father retorts.

 _"Dad…"_ she groans.

"Well, I think that's everything. Izzy can walk you through all of her treatments later," Mrs. Feinstein tells Lori.

"Treatments?" Lori asks, but apparently no one hears her.

"I can handle it, Mom. Aren't you guys gonna be late?" Isabelle reminds them.

"Oh, shoot! She's right!" Mr. Feinstein blurts out. "Okay girls, you two have fun. Call us if you need anything," he tells them.

Mrs. Feinstein leans in to whisper to Lori. "We have air fresheners in every room of the house. You'll know what I mean later."

"Okay?" Lori just says with an eyebrow raise.

"Alright, thanks again, Lori! Make yourself at home!" Mrs. Feinstein tells her.

"Have a good night, guys!" her husband adds as he gets the door.

"Thanks," Lori says somewhat weakly with a little wave goodbye.

"See you guys! Have fun!" Isabelle tells her parents.

With that, the adults exit the house, and are pulling out of the driveway in their car shortly after.

...Leaving Lori alone with Isabelle for the first time, in what's sure to be _literally_ the longest night ever.

* * *

Lori, basically a grown woman, and Isabelle, a girl who probably isn't even ten yet, eye one another up and down for a moment before Lori finally speaks up.

She takes an inaudible deep breath, and decides to at least _try_ and act like she isn't already miserable.

"Hi," she simply greets the little girl she's babysitting.

"Hey," Isabelle quietly, almost skittishly responds.

"So… Isabelle… What do you like to do for fun?" Lori belatedly asks her.

"Uhm, it's Izzy. Please don't call me by my full name," _Izzy_ requests.

"Oh, sorry _…"_ Lori responds.

"It's fine," Izzy says. "Uhm… Actually… If you don't mind, I was thinking I would just go up to my room and play some Grand Theft Otter."

"Oh… Okay then," Lori replies, a little taken back.

Neither girl says anything for a moment, and they then make sure to look at fascinating spots along the walls and floor rather than to each other.

"Okay… Well… I guess just come get me if you need anything," Lori tells Izzy, almost dismissing her.

The girl half smiles. "Will do," and she runs up the stairs, clearly eager to get to her gaming.

"Huh… I thought for sure she'd want me to do her nails or something… It was been a little while since I've babysat though… Kids these days," Lori thinks aloud as she takes a seat on the couch.

A very long, horrendously exasperating five minutes go by, and Lori eases into the idea of making herself at home. She decides to go see what the Feinsteins have to drink, and settles for a bottle of water before returning to the couch.

She looks to the stairs, and can just barely hear the noises from Izzy's game. She looks to the front door, and it's about as interesting as jean shorts.

She anxiously starts gnawing on her fingertips, and checks her phone.

"Ugh!..." she groans, and she relents from the idea of not creeping on her friends.

She pulls up BookFace on her app, and checks on BFF Carol Pingrey's page.

Her latest status update: a selfie with Dana, Whitney, and Becky at the local pizzeria.

 **Totes having fun with the girls! TGISaturday!;D #HugLife #LastSliceGoesTo**

"Oh man… This is literally the worst thing ever…" Lori bemoans to herself. "...Dana and Becky are both wearing teal. Teal is _my_ thing!"

She puts her phone down, and eyes the TV by happenstance.

She checks the stairs and the front door again, and nothing seems out of the ordinary, so she takes making herself at home a step further.

She gets the TV remote, and clicks it on.

What's on the TV? The episode of Cool House where Uncle Jerry and Uncle Johnny have a bet to see who can eat the most spaghetti tacos.

"C'mon dude. You know I can't get any sauce in my hair," Jerry tells his friend.

"What is the deal? Knock… It… Off!" Johnny jokingly says.

"Oh man, I love this show!" Lori remarks with a smile.

"Me too! I have all the DVDs!" Izzy adds, making her presence felt as she surprises Lori from the other side of the couch.

"AHHH!" she promptly squeals, jumping out of her seat and landing her butt on the floor.

Izzy just meets her with an incredulous eyebrow raise as Lori straightens up and meets her with a pained grimace.

"I thought you were playing your game?" she asks as she rubs her tender backside.

"I got bored. I thought I'd see what you're doing," Izzy explains.

Lori makes her way back onto the sofa. "Well, I just- you know… Your parents said to make myself at home…"

"No, I don't know. I've never had a babysitter before," Izzy informs her.

"Oh… Okay then…" Lori simply says as she just returns her focus to the TV, trying to act like this isn't so totally awkward.

Izzy lets out a little laugh as she watches the grown men in her favorite 80s sitcom devouring spaghetti tacos.

"This is one of my favorite episodes," she comments.

Lori relaxes a bit, sitting back in the chair more comfortably.

"Yeah, it is one of the best ones," she says with a little smile.

"Ooo! You know what other episode I like?" she adds as she perks up and faces the little girl.

"What?" Izzy responds.

"I love the one where they all take the quizzes and switch roommates!" Lori shares.

Izzy perks up now too. "Yeah! That one's awesome! You know another good one? The Halloween special! I love the song they sing at the end!"

"Literally!" Lori agrees. "I think my favorite one is when CJ keeps trying to compete with that one girl by taking all those pictures, and at the end they decide to be friends, and… Wait…"

"Hahaha! It's so cool to talk to somebody who likes Cool House! All my friends at school watch stupid reality shows and DoTube videos…" Izzy explains.

"I just can't believe a girl your age watches it. That's pretty cool," Lori says with a smile.

And Izzy just smiles back.

"So… What do _you_ like to do for fun?" Izzy asks after some time to think.

"What?" Lori replies.

"Well, you asked me what I like to do. I just- like I said, I've never had a babysitter before… So I don't really know how this works," Izzy elaborates.

"Hmmm…" Lori hums as she puts on her thinking face. Then she smiles again. "I can think of a few things we can do to pass the time…"

* * *

In the backyard of Casa Feinstein, Lori has rigged up a little mini golf course for her and Izzy, one with a pirates theme- solely because there are still decorations left over from a birthday party.

Using plastic golf clubs Izzy bought at a dollar store, and five gallon buckets for "holes," Lori proceeds to show the little girl a thing or two about her favorite pastime.

"Okay, so it's all in the shoulders. You don't want to worry about your hips. Just ease your posture," Lori instructs as she stands over Izzy, helping her measure the trajectory of the ball she's about to putt.

"Okay… Uhm… So I get a point if get it in the bucket- or, _hole?"_ Izzy asks.

"Uhm, yes! You want that to happen!" Lori explains.

"So, that'll mean I have five points?" Izzy adds, referring to the four times she missed the bucket beforehand.

"Yeee-ess… Try to get it in the hole with one try next time… For future reference," Lori elaborates.

"That would've been nice to know before," Izzy quips.

They quiet down so Izzy can concentrate on the ball…

Slowly, she draws her plastic putter back, and…

She hits the ball, and it glides its way _just barely_ past the bucket.

Lori sorrowfully frowns. "Oh, Izzy… I'm sorry. Maybe we can try ag-"

"Wooo!" the little girl ecstatically cries. "Did you _see that?_ I was _so_ close! Ah man… Let me try one more time; I bet I can make it with one try!"

She stops, donning a face that makes it clear the metaphorical light bulb has turned on for her.

"Ohhhh! That's what they mean when they say 'hole in one!"

Lori can't help but smile at the child's wonderful display of childish wonder.

"Yeah, that's what they mean by it," she simply tells the bright eyed girl. Izzy looks up to her with her smiling face, and Lori playfully rubs her head.

"Keep it up, and you'll be winning trophies like me one day."

"Wow, you've won trophies?" Izzy excitedly asks.

"Mhm. Big ones," Lori proudly answers.

"Do you have pictures?" Izzy follows.

"Oh, well… _Maybe…"_ Lori says with a sly grin, pulling her phone out and unlocking it.

She hands it to Izzy, and it displays a freshman Lori holding up a big trophy. "Woah…" Izzy utters.

She swipes right, and there's sophomore Lori holding a bigger trophy. "Where do you even keep these things?"

"Oh, well… I have a _big_ trophy case…" Lori answers as Izzy keeps swiping.

Junior year, bigger trophy. Senior year, even bigger trophy.

Then… a picture of Lori being splashed with water by a frog in a bathroom. Hmm.

Izzy just looks at it with wide eyes, and Lori picks up on her sudden display of dissonance.

"Uh, that was a gag picture, heh heh…" She nervously says as she takes the phone from the girl.

* * *

A few moments later, and Lori and Izzy have nearly gone through their whole course. Izzy takes her time putting her ball in the last "hole"… And...

"Did you see that! I got it on the first try!" she exclaims after watching it smoothly stride inside.

"That was awesome, Izzy! You did great!" Lori happily tells her.

The little girl proudly fixes her posture. "Yep. I'm a natural," she claims.

"Alright natural. Go get your ball," Lori quips, and Izzy complies.

As she rushes her little legs over to get her ball, Lori can't help but check her phone.

She has one new text message from Carol.

Izzy makes it back over with ball in hand, panting.

"Phew… I need to exercise more," she jokingly comments.

She realizes how Lori is looking at her phone, and deflates a bit. "Is everything alright?"

Lori looks back to the girl, slightly aghast. "Uhm... "

She looks back and forth between the almost pitiful Isabelle and her phone with it's newest notification.

Then, she sighs…

And she puts the phone away.

"No, all good," she says with a smile.

And Izzy smiles back.

"Say… I got an idea for how we can get you some were exercise," Lori thinks aloud.

"Oh yeah? Is it something we can do inside? I'm getting sweaty," Izzy remarks.

* * *

With her hair done up in a ponytail, Lori leads Izzy through her typical yoga routine.

"Ahhh… Now isn't this relaxing?" she asks the younger girl while holding a vrikshasana pose.

"Uhm… Is this supposed to hurt?" Izzy asks, clearly struggling to do the same.

"Where does it hurt?" Lori asks.

Belatedly, Izzy responds, "Everywhere."

Lori rolls her eyes. "Alright… Why don't we try a new pose?" she says, and she gracefully returns to form.

Izzy, not so much. She's about as graceful as a newborn doe the way she gets back to her feet.

She nervously smiles at Lori, who just amusedly half smiles.

"Okay, this one's easy. You literally just bend over, and act like your gonna do a push up," Lori instructs as she begins to do so.

"Alright. I can do that," Izzy states, and she follows suit.

Once she has her hands to the mat, she begins making these discomforted faces and groaning.

"Are you okay?" Lori asks while holding her pose.

"Oh… Oh man… I… I…" Izzy stammers.

And then, it happens.

Yoga farts.

It's not even a toot. It's all drawn out and sickly sounding, and actually quite impressive for a girl of Izzy's stature.

Once she's finished, she just nervously smiles at Lori, blushing, still holding her pose.

"Uhm… Excuse me…"

Lori just can't help but laugh. That is, until it starts to stink.

And boy, it _really_ stinks.

She practically gags as her arms give out, and she falls on her face.

Izzy does the same, but only because she's lacking in upper arm strength.

"Sorry!" she apologizes.

"It's- fine…" Lori utters as she covers her face with her shirt. "Oh jeez- what did you eat?"

"It's my medicine! I can't help it!" Izzy says through laughter.

Lori doesn't find it quite as amusing, but Izzy has a jolly old time laughing about it.

"Oh come on, Lori. Everybody does it!" she teases.

"Yeah, but… Come on!" is all Lori can even say.

As she stands up to escape the odor, she has an epiphany.

 _"There's air fresheners in every room of the house,"_ she remembers Mrs. Feinstein saying.

With what could be considered an adrenaline fueled burst of energy, Lori begins scanning the room for the sacred deodorizer, and she finds a can of it on a shelf nearby. She rushes over to it, nearly tripping on her own feet, all while Izzy is still laughing.

She finally gets to the stuff, and sprays a mist of sweet, artificial freshness all around the room.

Izzy's laughter finally concedes, and she wipes a tear from her eye.

"I gotta say… I _do_ feel better after that one," she jokes.

Lori frees her face from her shirt. "Yeah… I bet you do," she ripostes.

Then Izzy dons a thoughtful expression. "Mmm… A little hungry too. I'm gonna make me another PB&J. You want one?" she asks Lori.

Still in somewhat of a nebulous, Lori answers, "Sure. But if you do that again, I'm putting you outside."

Izzy just smiles at her banter though, and they both head into the kitchen.

* * *

The two girls happily make their sandwiches. After coating her jelly on top of her peanut butter, Izzy dons a face of concern as she begins looking around for something.

"What'chu need?" Lori asks.

"My pills. I have to have my enzymes," Izzy casually responds, and she perks up upon realizing her pill bottle is behind the loaf of bread.

Lori just curiously watches on as the child opens the bottle and lets four of the pills fall into her hand. She then opens her bottle of water, and uses the drink to swallow down the four capsules.

"Ahh," she refreshingly utters afterwards.

"You have to take those every time you eat something?" Lori asks.

"Yeah. Well, everytime I eat something big. Sometimes with snacks. Every couple hours I guess, or just whatever," Izzy answers before taking a bite of her sandwich.

Lori then takes a bite of her own, and thinks this over.

After a brief pause to allow herself time to swallow her food, she decides to express her thoughts.

"So, like… Not to be annoying, but what exactly do you have again? My mom just said you've got a 'condition."

Izzy takes a moment herself, then proceeds.

"I have what's called Cystic Fibrosis. It kind of sounds like 'sixty-five roses,' that's what my parents always used to say when I was little so I could remember it," she explains. "But you can call it CF."

Lori just nods. "Okay."

"Basically, I have problems with my lungs. They make a lot of mucus. It also messes with my digestive system, which is why I have to take these enzymes."

"Oh…" Lori simply, somewhat somberly, replies.

"Don't worry, it's not contagious," Izzy almost jokingly says. "It's just something I was born with. I mean, I guess it could be a lot worse. I take a bunch of medicine for it, and I have to do treatments for it every day and night, but it all helps me feel normal."

Lori can't help but frown a bit. "Dang… I'm- I'm sorry, Izzy."

The girl just shrugs. "Ehh, it's okay. It's kind of a pain sometimes, but I do what I have to do. I'm just glad I have my mom and dad to help take care of me. They're really awesome," she says with a little smile. "But don't tell them I told you that," she adds.

Lori laughs a little at her remark. "Heh, I won't."

For a moment, they get quiet, and Izzy just focuses on eating her sandwich while Lori watches her, reflecting on this information she's just learned.

Suddenly, Izzy perks up, and excitedly looks back to Lori.

"Ooo! I know what we can do after this!" she exclaims.

Lori snaps back to reality to acknowledge the girl's statement. "Uhm- okay. What'd you have in mind?"

With an almost devious grin stretching across her face, Izzy tells her.

"Wrestling."

"Huh?" is all Lori can muster out upon seeing her change in demeanor.

"Not real wrestling, pretend wrestling! And not like, _real_ wrestling, video game wrestling!" Izzy clarifies.

"Oh…" Lori lets out, _pretty sure_ she understands. "Well just so you know, I've played games with my brother, and I kick his butt all the time," she adds with a challenging grin.

Izzy returns it with one of her own. "Pshhh, you're bluffing. I bet he wins all the time!"

"Oh really? I guess you're just gonna have to find out!" Lori asserts.

"You're on," Izzy states, and with that, both girls begin to make their way out of the kitchen.

On the way, Lori's eyes wander to the refrigerator.

On it, there are several photos hung up. One shows Izzy and her parents smiling, one shows her as a tike playing outside with a cat, and there's one of her riding a bicycle.

The one most pressing of all though, a picture of an infant with a feeding tube protruding from her stomach.

She just freezes upon seeing it.

Izzy makes it to the banister of the stairs, and turns back to look at Lori like she's some kind of fool.

"Lori? Are you coming?!" she barks.

Lori just studies the photograph a moment longer before again breaking from her trance and looking to the other girl.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm coming."

* * *

Triple A lines Kirk Angel up for a decapitating clothesline, but Kirk is able to duck, rush to the ropes, and fire back with lariat of his own. He then spins around in a circle, taunting to the crowd. They cheer.

Then… He does the exact same thing again, making the crowd cheer.

Then… He does it a _third_ time, making the crowd cheer _again._

"Ugh! Stop doing that!" Lori groans to Izzy, the girl governing Kirk Angel via her video game controller.

She just hardily laughs. "Hahaha! I thought you said you were good at this game?" she taunts.

Lori just sneers at her, then rapidly pushes all of her buttons to try and get her character back to his feet, all while Izzy just laughs about it and keeps pressing the "taunt" button.

Then, Lori gets an idea, and she smiles about it.

"Hey, what's that on your shirt?" she says, poking Izzy's belly.

"What? Huh?" she simply replies, and Lori uses the momentary distraction to fat finger Izzy's controller, making Kirk Angel run over to the nearest turnbuckle.

"What the heck?!" she curses, and now it's Lori who laughs.

"Ha!" she ha's.

Triple A gets to his feet, and runs over to hit Kirk Angel with a running knee to gut. It connects, and leaves his opponent prone to a follow up finishing maneuver.

"No!" Izzy cries.

Triple A kicks Angel in the gut, and locks his arms for his signature move: the Potpourri.

"Dude!" Izzy cries again.

Desperately, she hits the "counter" button over and over again, hoping- _praying_ that her character will reverse the oncoming blow of the world's most cleverly named pro wrestling maneuver.

Unfortunately, it's for naught, as Triple A connects with the move, sending Angel face first into the mat, and then rolling him over for the lateral press.

The virtual referee rushes to the canvas.

"1! 2! 3!"

And with that, Triple A is victorious.

"Yes! In your face!" Lori blurts out as she jumps up from her seat, pointing her bony finger right in Izzy's face.

She goes on to do a little victory dance, "Go Lori, uh huh, go Lori, go Lori, go-"

But then she sees the defeated- _hurt_ expression on Izzy's face.

"Izzy… I'm sorry…" she sincerely apologizes.

Izzy just looks up to her with the saddest of puppy eyes.

Then, she lets out a primal yell, "AHHHH!" and tackles Lori onto her bed.

"Izzy!" Lori cries, and Izzy just laughs.

"You're such a cheater! I'm gonna kick your butt for real!" the girl teases.

Lori just starts laughing too, trying to out-wrestle the little spitfire.

"Okay! Okay! You asked for it!" she retorts.

They continue roughhousing, smiling and laughing all the while. Lori is able to use her strength to overpower the smaller girl, and traps Izzy's one arm with her own, then uses her free hand to start tickling her belly.

"Okay! Okay! I give up! I tap! I tap!" Izzy cries through her laughter.

"Are you sorry?" Lori eggs on.

"YES! Just let me go!" Izzy cries some more.

"Okay…" Lori concedes as she releases her, and the laughter dies down.

Izzy stands up, and playfully sneers. "If you think my yoga farts are bad, wait until you smell my wrestling farts."

"Don't you dare," Lori just responds.

They relax a bit, and Izzy takes the opportunity to fix her shirt.

As she does, Lori catches eye of the scar on her stomach.

Because _she_ was that baby. She was the one who had to have a feeding tube.

Lori's face saddens, and Izzy realizes this.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"Uhm… I- I just…" Lori stammers. "Your scar…"

Izzy looks down to her scar, and just casually finishes straightening herself up.

"Yeah… I had to have a feeding tube when I was really little. I don't remember it though…"

Lori doesn't say anything. She keeps her despondence to herself.

"Yeah, I guess it fell out one time. Well, I mean, my mom pulled it out on accident… I guess her and my dad had a really hard time with it all when I was that little. I'm glad I don't remember it," Izzy comments, somewhat sullenly.

"Uhm… You can ask me anything you want about it. My CF I mean," she then tells Lori.

Lori considers it for a moment.

"It's fine. I don't wanna annoy you," she says, trying to play it cool.

"Alright," Izzy simply responds.

After a moment of palpable silence, Izzy looks over to the clock. It reads 9:00.

"Uhm, it's my bedtime," she tells Lori. "I'm gonna go brush my teeth and change, and then I have to do my vest. Maybe you could pull up Fletnix and find something for us to watch?" she suggests.

"Oh… Alright then," Lori simply replies.

Izzy leaves to go to the restroom, and Lori does as she was requested: pulling up Fletnix and browsing its selection of streaming options.

She smiles and "Hmm's" to herself upon finding something.

A moment later, Izzy returns with her PJs on, and looks to Lori with a blank expression. She sees Lori's grin, looks to the TV, then smiles as she shakes her head.

"Of course," she comments.

Of course indeed. Lori has decided upon Cooler House, the modern day reboot to Cool House. All of the cast have returned, and even though they're all super old now, they've still got their comedic chops.

"Knock… it… off!" the now aged Uncle Johnny says.

Uncle Jerry just glowers at him. "I'm getting too old for this crud," he wisecracks, and the TV audience laughs.

Lori just smiles at Izzy, and she smiles back.

* * *

Izzy sighs, and then pulls a bulky contraption out from under her bed. It's white with two black hoses connected to it, which then connect to a purple vest. She presses a button on the machine, and a green light turns on, displaying several digital numbers.

She puts the vest on, and makes sure it's snug. From there, she pulls a smaller machine out from the bed, one that has- what Lori deduces to be, some kind of fancy inhaler with a mask attached to it.

She then opens up a white packet, and takes a small capsule of clear liquid out of it. She bites the tip off of the capsule, and then pours its contents into the inhaler.

Lori just attentively watches on all the while, trying to hide how crestfallen she feels.

Izzy picks up on this, and just weakly smiles as she pushes another button on the bigger machine.

Her vest starts profusely shaking, and it startles Lori a bit.

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt," Izzy assures her. "This just helps clear some of the mucus in my lungs."

"O-kay?..." Lori just responds. "Uhm, you have to do this _every_ night?"

"Yeah, and every morning," Izzy answers. "I'm used to it though. It's actually kind of relaxing."

She lies down in bed, all while the vest shakes her over and over again.

"Uhm, I'm not really gonna be able to talk with this thing on my face," she tells Lori regarding her mask.

"Oh. Alright, you're fine," Lori simply tells her, forcing a smile to try and convey something other than pity.

Izzy smiles back, as if to tell Lori she understands, and that she's fine too.

With that, she puts her mask on, and turns on the smaller machine, which allows the inhaler to begin expelling medicine. She just eyes Lori once more, and she does her best to just smile back.

Then, they sit back, relax, and watch their show, almost like this is somehow perfectly normal.

Lori realizes that, for Izzy, this is what normal is.

* * *

Exactly thirty minutes later, and the sound of the vest's shaking stops. Lori looks over to Izzy, who has dozed off.

She steels herself a moment, worried about whether or not the girl should sleep in her vest.

She decides she'd rather be safe than sorry though, and gently nudges Izzy's arm to wake her.

"Izzy…"

The girl comes to, "Nuh… I was just about to fall asleep."

"Sorry," Lori simply says with a weak smile.

Izzy looks to the clock, which reads 9:50, and then back to Lori.

"Will you- uhm, help me with this," she asks regarding her various equipment, coughing in between words.

"Sure thing," Lori softly says, helping Izzy take her mask off, and then her vest.

During the process, she breaks into a coughing fit, her face nearly turning red.

"Izzy?" Lori worriedly says.

"Help," the girl utters through her coughing.

Lori starts to become a little panicked. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Pat- pat my back," Izzy instructs.

Lori hesitates, but she does as she's told and begins carefully patting the girl's back.

"Harder," Izzy says.

Lori complies, practically smacking her back over and over again.

Izzy reaches down to grab a trash can by her bed, and proceeds to cough up mucus into it.

Lori can't help but watch on with an almost frightened expression, and Izzy weakly turns back to look at her from the corner of her eye.

"I'm sorry," she shamefully apologizes.

Lori just looks to her for a moment, but pulls herself together.

"No, don't be."

Izzy takes a moment to recover, then gestures at Lori to get her nearby water for her. Lori does, and she takes a drink. She hands it back to Lori, who puts it back on her nightstand.

"Lori…" Izzy belatedly says.

Lori just looks to her, saying nothing.

Izzy turns back to face her.

"Thanks for being here today. I know you're only here because it's your job or whatever, but I had a lot of fun hanging out with you."

Lori softly smiles as she looks into her pitiful eyes. "I had a lot of fun too, Izzy. You're a really awesome kid," she sincerely tells her.

And Izzy just smiles back.

She lets a hardy yawn escape her.

"Oh poo… I'm really tired," she comments.

Lori stands up from her bed. "That's okay. You said yourself it was your bedtime."

"Okay," Izzy simply responds, pulling her blanket over her and getting comfortable.

She then looks up to Lori and smiles again.

"Good night Uncle Jerry," she quips.

And Lori smiles too. "Good night Isabelle."

With that, Izzy shuts her eyes, and happily begins drifting off to sleep.

Lori makes sure to shut off her light on the way out, but leaves the door cracked so a little light from the hallway can get in, and so that she herself can feel at ease knowing Izzy's safe and sound in her bed.

Once she's a comfortable distance away from the door, she leans against the wall, and let's out a sigh.

She can't help it, she has to let some tears fall.

* * *

With a heavy heart, Lori makes her way downstairs. And, she can't help it, she has to return to the kitchen, and she has to see that photograph again.

She takes it from the fridge, holding it in her fingers as she studies Izzy's infant face, so small, so beautiful. She then wanders her eyes to the tube that sticks out of her stomach. It sends this smothering pain to her heart, and she almost starts crying again.

But then, she sees the headlights of a car pulling up.

Assuming it's Mr. and Mrs. Feinstein returning home, she bucks up, and wipes away her tears. She puts the picture back on the fridge, and makes her way to the foyer.

The front door opens, and as expected, it's Izzy's mother and father, who both look relieved to be home.

"Hey," Mrs. Feinstein tiredly tells Lori as she hangs up her coat.

"Hey, how was the conference?" Lori politely asks, trying to hide her woefulness.

"It went alright. Some guy named Cody kept going on and on about these fluffy pillows. It got really old really fast," Mr. Feinstein complains.

"It's over, that's all that matters," Mrs. Feinstein adds. "Did Izzy tuck in for the night?"

"Yeah, I just got finished laying her down," Lori answers.

"Did she do her treatments? Did she eat anything?" Mr. Feinstein asks, and Mrs. Feinstein nonchalantly rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, she took care of everything," Lori answers.

"Good, just making sure," he reasons. He then steps closer to his wife. "I'm gonna go check on Izzy," he softly says to her with a smile.

"Okay," Mrs. Feinstein says with a smile back.

WIth that, the husband makes his way past Lori and to the stairs, where he proceeds to ascend them and leave the room.

Mrs. Feinstein then softly smiles at Lori. "So… What did you guys get into?"

"We did a little bit of everything. I taught her how I play golf, and we watched some Cool House… She kicked my butt on her wrestling game," Lori answers with a soft smile of her own.

Mrs. Feinstein laughs. "Haha, she usually cheats… Did you have any trouble with her?"

"Not at all," Lori sincerely answers. "We actually… had fun."

"Well… That's great," Mrs. Feinstein responds, and they allow the conversation to end there for a moment.

After a pause, Lori speaks up.

"Well, I guess I should be texting me mom and letting her know you're home. It could be a few minutes before she gets here," she explains.

"It's fine… Oh, where are my manners? I never did get around to thanking you for coming over tonight. I'm sorry it was so last minute. It was just one of those things," Mrs. Feinstein tells Lori.

"It's no big," Lori simply says with a shrug. "Actually… If- if you ever need someone to babysit…"

"Well, we really don't go out so much," Mrs. Feinstein stoically replies. "We try to be here with Izzy as much as possible…" she adds with shades of somberness in her eyes.

"Oh… Okay…" Lori responds, inadvertently wearing her disappointment on her sleeve.

Mrs. Feinstein weakly smiles, picking up on this. "But… If you ever want to drop by and pay Izzy a visit, I'm sure she'd love that."

Belatedly, Lori smiles at her offer. "Thanks."

Mr. Feinstein tiredly makes his way down the stairs. "She's snoring," he amusedly comments.

"Good. Maybe we can sneak in some Dream Boat tonight before bed," his wife happily responds.

The couple just kind of awkwardly smile at Lori for a moment, and then Mrs. Feinstein nudges her husband with her elbow.

He glowers at her, but then dons his "Oh!" face as he realizes what she's insinuating.

He takes his wallet out of his pocket, and proceeds to hand Lori two bills of that are probably of high denominations.

Lori doesn't even bother checking though, she just accepts it and places it safely in her pocket. "Thanks…"

"So, did you have to use the air fresheners?" Mr. Feinstein jokes, earning him another elbow nudge from the Mrs.

Lori smiles at his quip. "Uhm… Let's just say, I'm pretty sure she was herself this evening."

Another pair of headlights shine through the windows, joined by the sound of a very sickly muffler.

"That's my mom," Lori tells the adults.

"It sounds like a tank," Mr. Feinstein thoughtlessly blurts out, earning him a _third_ elbow to the ribs.

"Well, thanks again Lori. And like I said, feel free to stop by anytime," Mrs. Feinstein assures.

"I think I will," Lori contently responds, and she waves the couple adieu as she makes her way to the door. "Have a good night guys."

"You too," Mrs. Feinstein responds, and with that, Lori makes her way out the front door.

* * *

Lori heavily sighs, then makes her way to Vanzilla. She opens the passenger side door to find her mother tiredly smiling at her.

"Well, how did it go?" Rita asks.

Lori takes a moment to consider her response. She settles for the following as she gets comfortable in her seat.

"Uhm… It was nice. It was actually pretty good."

"Well that's good," Rita simply responds, and she pulls out of the driveway.

For a little while, they just sit in silence, Lori leaning her weary head along the car door as she reflects over her evening with Isabelle Feinstein.

"You're awfully quiet. She wear you out?" Rita comments to break the silence.

Lori can't hold her true feelings anymore. She begins crying.

"Honey… What's wrong?" Rita concerningly asks.

Through her sobs, Lori tells her just what's troubling her so.

"Mom… She just- she's so awesome. She's smart, and funny, and just such a good kid… Why does it have to be her?"

"I don't understand?" Rita responds.

"Why does she have to be sick? Why does _she_ have to have that disease?" Lori elaborates, really losing herself now.

Rita just sorrowfully watches on as her daughter tries to express herself to the best of her ability.

"She doesn't deserve it. It's so unfair…"

Rita sighs, and pulls the car over along the side of the road. Lori looks to her with her welling eyes, and Rita makes a point to meet her gaze.

"Lori… I'm sorry… I'm sorry that Izzy is sick. It's… You're right. She doesn't deserve it. No one does…"

She takes a moment to further collect her thoughts.

"But… the thing is… sometimes, all we can do is just be there for the people we care about. Her parents are going to do the best they can to make sure she gets the best care she can possibly get, and they're gonna be there for her, just like I am for you…"

Lori stops sobbing, giving her mother her undivided attention.

Rita takes another moment, looking down to her steering wheel before meeting her daughter's eyes again.

"She's gonna be okay, Lori. Thanks to all the love and support she gets, from her family and friends, she's got a fighting chance. And the research and hard work that gets put into finding new medicines, and maybe even a cure someday… I think she's gonna grow up to be a very happy, healthy, and safe woman…"

She reaches out to wipe a tear from Lori's cheek.

"Just like you."

Rita softly smiles at her, and Lori feels some warm relief coming to her.

"Thanks mom. I love you," she says as she reaches in to hug her.

Rita accepts her gesture, welcoming her into her embrace. "I love you too."

They just stay like this for a moment, then release one another.

Lori sniffles, and wipes away what's left of her tears, "Sorry," she utters.

"Don't ever be sorry for having emotions, Lori. Ever," Rita says with another compassionate smile.

Lori smiles back.

Rita puts the van back into gear, and returns her focus to the windshield.

"So… I bet the Feinsteins were considerate. Maybe you can use your babysitting money to take your friends out next weekend?" she says in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Lori thinks it over for a moment, then smiles again as she decides what she wants to do with her earnings.

"Yeah… I think I have an idea for what I'll use it for…"

* * *

 _A few days later…_

It's daylight, and Lori Loud pulls Vanzilla into the Feinsteins' driveway.

In the passenger seat, there is a fairly large box, and she makes her way out to carefully collect it. She then makes her way to the front door.

She rings the doorbell, and Mrs. Feinstein answers.

"Lori! So nice to see you!" she greets.

"It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Feinstein," Lori responds. "Is Izzy around?"

"She is," Mrs. Feinstein replies, and she leans back to face the stairs. "Izzy! You have a visitor!"

"Okay mom!" the girl hollers back from upstairs.

Mrs. Feinstein then returns her attention to her guest. "Why don't you come in?"

"Thanks," Lori answers, and she steps inside with the box in tow. As she does, Izzy hurries her way down the stairs.

She brightly smiles upon seeing her visitor.

"Lori!" she cries, and she rushes over to her.

"Hey you," Lori greets. "Upstairs playing your game?"

"Nah, I was watching Cool House," she answers.

"Knock… it… off!" Lori and Izzy both say together, and they share a laugh about it.

Then, Izzy realizes what Lori has with her. "What's with the box?"

"Mmm… Open it and find out," Lori answers, handing it over to the younger girl.

Her eyes widen upon accepting it, and then she smiles. She can't even say anything she's so excited to open the darn thing.

She gets it opened, and inside, there is a large trophy inside.

"Woah…" Izzy comments, clearly impressed.

"Oh wow," Mrs. Feinstein remarks. "What'chu got there?"

Izzy squints her eyes to read the engraving.

"Hole... in... One… Izzy Feinstein."

She then looks up to Lori with doe eyes, and Lori just coolly smiles. "Hopefully it's the first of many," the older girl tells her.

Izzy happily studies her trophy some more, then looks back to Lori.

"Thanks," she simply says.

"Alright, well why don't you let me find a nice place for your trophy, and the two of you can find something to get into," Mrs. Feinstein gladly offers.

"Thanks Mom," Izzy tells her, and she hands the cup over.

Mrs. Feinstein accepts it, and smiles at Lori, who smiles back.

With that, she does as she said she would, making her way upstairs to leave the girls alone.

"So, what do you wanna get into? I hope I wasn't interfering with your day," Lori somewhat jokingly tells the younger girl.

Izzy doesn't seem very amused though. She almost sorrowfully looks to the floor.

And Lori picks up on this.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

Izzy looks up to her with piteous eyes.

"Lori… You didn't just get that trophy for me because you feel sorry for me, right?"

It almost baffles Lori.

"What? No… Why would you think that?"

Izzy steels herself a moment as she looks to the floor again.

"Well… Sometimes when I tell people I'm sick, they treat me differently. I don't want things to be like that with you," she admits.

Lori softly smiles.

"They won't be, I promise," she tells her, and she kneels down to her level, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You know why I got you that trophy?"

"Why?" Izzy asks.

"I got it for you, because... I wanted to give you something back for the gift you gave me," Lori tells her.

"What gift?" Izzy questions.

"You gave me the gift of your friendship. And that's something I'll always cherish," Lori answers.

Izzy warmly smiles upon hearing this, and Lori does too. Then, they share a loving hug.

"Thanks," she tells Lori.

They eventually release one another, and Lori gets back to her feet.

"Alright, enough of the mushy Cool House crud. I'm totally gonna kick your butt in a round of pirate bucket golf now," Izzy challenges.

"Oh, it is on!" Lori responds, and they happily make their way outside to enjoy the rest of their day together.

THE END.

* * *

 **Cool House… Is that anything like that one show?**

 **And Kirk Angel and Triple A… Something about those names…**

 **The one picture Izzy saw was a reference to "Selfie Improvement," which is probably my favorite TLH episode. One of many anyway;)**

 **The fart gag may seem low to some people, but I included it because it kind of parallels something I experience on a day to day basis with someone I know;p. So yeah, I don't regret it.**

 **Thanks a bunch for reading this, true believers. If it wasn't obvious, this story had a very special meaning to me, because someone I care very much about has CF, and you don't really hear much about it. So I hope you enjoyed this work, and I hope maybe you learned something. Comments and reviews are always appreciated, and if you or someone you know has CF, or really any kind of health issues, know that you're not alone. We can all get through it together:)**

 **Thanks again, and take care!**


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